Great Italian, Dane and Whippet

In the early hours of this morning, a storm hit us with such ferocity that I had to go shut the front door because rain was coming inside. The storm had dissipated within an hour and I had to get out of bed again to open up the front door so my dogs can go out to inspect.

I finally surfaced just after 7am still tired but got ready and took my dogs for a morning walk at Emmerentia Dam. I was not surprised to find many other dog walkers doing the same plus many off road cyclists training. Here is my Italian Greyhound, Maxy and my Whippet, Skye meeting a Great Dane who towered over them. The Great Dane's owner said that her dog does not like small dogs and was surprised to find that her dog actually loved my Italian Greyhounds and Whippet. It not the size of the dog that counts but the heart in the dog.

Tam o' Shanter

Well what else can I say other than it is Friday folks.

Woza weekend!!!

After work I rushed over to Scoots in Fourways and arrived there with 5 minutes to closing time but they had already closed and all at Picolino's Pizzeria next door. So that is where I too ended up, having Friday after work drinks with some friends. Talking about friends, here's Tammy at Picolino's, now Tammy isn't wearing a tam bonnet. Well that's a shame as I think Tammy would look kind of nice in a Tam o' Shanter with a nice toorie.

Don't know what's with all these apostrophes  but let's let our hair down and let the weekend begin.

The Green Car

Lying in bed this morning listening to the rain on the thatch was so therapeutical that I could have laid in my bed forever. But I had to get up and decide bike or car. It wasn't raining very hard, but the weather report said rain all day and that swung it to take a car to work day.

Giving myself an extra half hour, I took a leisurely drive to work. I joined the rush hour traffic with ease. I must be on something because this morning, the endless flowing vehicles looked like a lava flow, with my stream of hot molten rock flowing into the larger stream. Except it had to take a green car to spoil that for me. What happen to all the lovely flowing oranges, and reds. But breathe deep, one, two, three and go to my happy place. Now where was I, ahh the lava flow...

Before I knew it I was at work, doing my reports then it was back into the car for the trip back home. The sun was out in full force, the traffic was considerably lighter and my mood was high but that didn't last long as I arrived home to a volcano. Yes, somehow, my dogs had managed to open the door and get into the cottage while I was at work. This in itself is okay but the door closed behind them and they were trapped. Poor things must have been locked up inside all day. But worse was the condition of my home. The place stank of poo and wee, and every cupboard they could open was trashed beyond recognition. They found the dog treats, the cereal, the easter eggs, the dustbin with last nights chicken remains and my washing. Sigh. So now it is a late night spring clean when I need to be relaxing with my dogs. My family, it wasn't their fault, they were trapped inside and couldn't get out. I blame the green car.

Sharky Maximus

One of the few things I enjoy is coming home to my dogs after a long day at work. That is if they haven’t gone and made a mess of my home while I’ve been away. There I was relaxing on the patio, while my three Italian Greyhounds and one Whippet played in the late light of dusk. This is Maxi posing with what I call his "sharky face", that when his upper lip gets caught on one of his incisors. Here is Maxi nearly sitting in his Sphinx pose showing off how the Italian Greyhound's proportion of body to legs must be, that is legs that just go on forever.

Ryan, Tyla and Ryan

Like Monday it was heads down from the moment I stepped into the office until I left although his time I was starting to get an headache by mid morning so I went out for a ride on my bike during lunch just to feel the wind in my hair and my mind racing to another tune.

But it didn't help because by 5pm I had excruciating pain behind my left eye, too much straining at the computer screen no doubt. Anyway so I packed up and headed home, swallowed pain killers then jumped into the car for a BBC Financial, Worship and Praise meeting. It has replaced the boring AGM and they did try to get it exciting as can be, although the 2012 year does look exciting from where I am standing, that is at the back on the right, if anyone noticed.

I took today's photo of Ryan, Tyla and Ryan practicing before the masses of BBCes arrive. I think this is the part were Ryan on the right broke a string on his guitar.

Chaos Walking

Monday was back to work, heads down and start at one end and work through the list of to-dos. Next thing I knew it was 6pm and I was still at work. So I packed up, mounted Sophia, my Vespa, and headed home to my little box of a cottage and dogs.

I got home just as it was getting dark, plopped myself on the couch, music on, dogs on top of me and wound down for the evening. Next thing I realized is that I haven't taken a photo for the day. While I was wondering what I can photograph now that it was dark already, the new TV unit that Matthew and I knocked together over the weekend was staring straight back at me. So there you have it my new unit without the doors that didn't fit. At least it looks okay.

The Royal Cannabis Company

Well Sunday is rest day and getting ready for the upcoming week but not before heading out to Picolino's Pizzeria to wish Ricky happy birthday and of course to have a pizza. Picolino is owned by my scootering friend Ted and it is the dive for a number of my other friends like Bruce and Jacqueline. Ted also supports a local indoor soccer team which Ricky is a team member, so as you can see it all falls into place. So where does the Royal Cannabis Company fit into the story, well it doesn't other than what is printed on Ricky's t-shirt. Amsterdam - Finest Quality - Old No 420 - Homegrown in the Netherlands - Cannabis – Grown and distributed by the Royal Cannabis Company – Approved by her Royal Highness.

DIY

I have been for sometime in the market for a small TV unit but the prices have been disgusting even the second hand ones. So when I saw an "assemble yourself" one in the right price range and in the simple design that I wanted in our local newspaper, I had to get it.

Matthew and I went down to the shop and bought the DIY unit. We then tried to follow the over simplistic assembly sheet of paper. It was interesting trying to figure out what the instructions actually meant but I think we did a good job. Well that is except the doors. You see the holes didn't match up, no matter which way you turn them. Anyway in the end we just left them off and it looks just as good without them.

Cable Theft

Well what can I say other than some &%#@! stole the electricity cable in our suburb during the early hours of this morning. More like around 3am this morning. Anyway, that didn't bother me much as I received a message that power will be restored some time in the morning. So arriving home at 7pm this evening and finding we still didn't have electricity didn't go down well with me. So cranking up the ISO, I took this photo of my three Italian Greyhounds and one Whippet with whatever lights I could jury rig up. From left to right are Skye, Maxy, Patch and Jade.

I was fearing that we would be left in the dark all weekend but the Eskom workers who were still working down our road must have wanted to get home for the weekend themselves so not too long into the evening power was restored.

Not so quiet sunset

Since yesterday was a public holiday, today felt like a Monday but with a twist. Yes it may be Monday but tomorrow is Friday. So after a busy day at work catching up for lost time yesterday, I sat on my patio with a beer, dogs at my feet and watched the sun go down.

It is something about African sunsets that just does it for me as the burnt orange creeps across the sky while bats swoop with carefree passion. Oh Africa soon it will be dark as the vain of hope slowly fades. And somewhere in a night two jackals howl and pick the ears of my dogs. All the while a wall of noisy crickets washes up from the veld as the stars slowly blink "Hello Afrika, tell me how you're doin'?"

Happy birthday Robyn

To celebrate Robyn’s much older than me birthday, a breakfast and photowalk was arranged to the small rural town of Heidelberg, just south of Johannesburg. The town, named after a city in Germany, started in 1862 as a trading store run by a German who came from Heidelberg in Germany.

We started the day with breakfast at Her Majesteas which is a quaint Victorian styled restaurant. Afterwards we went on a walkabout led by John, a local photographer. The walk led us past the Town Hall, a groot kerk (a large stone church) in the middle of the town, Heidelberg Club, the Tronk (the jail) which is now the Shellhole then the walk ended up at the old cemetery just outside town.

All in all a wonderful morning in Heidelberg with friends, what more can I ask of the Freedom Day holiday since the government decided to celebrate Robyn’s birthday by granting her a public holiday. Today's photo is of Robyn in the Heidelberg Tronk. I will post the rest of the photos in a Facebook album.

La Campagnola Ristorante

One of our big bosses from Los Angeles, Bernard, came over to South Africa for a family visit and at the same time visit our regional office here in Johannesburg. This evening our company had booked a table at La Campagnola, a top Italian restaurant in Bryanston. We arrived there early and sat outside in the lovely courtyard having drinks.

We could have stayed out in the courtyard all evening but our tummies were starting to rumble. So we moved to our table at the back overlooking the new Hobart Centre. We had a wonderful time, good company, good food but I am afraid that the restaurant's timings leave a lot to be desired. For example I had already finished my fillet by the time my vegetables arrived. And I won't mention the coffees coming at different times. I am not sure how they got it so wrong as there were plenty of staff rushing around. Maybe I watch too much Ramsay's Nightmare Kitchens. Anyway my fillet was cooked perfectly which all about made up for the vegetables not arriving on time.

Oh how can I forget the two bottles of wonderful Grand Vin Du Chateau Bernadotte 2002 Haut Médoc, uhmmm. It was a wonderful Johannesburg summer evening and the temperature was perfect for being out on the town with our guest from LA.

Ricki Tikki Tavi

Monday, a start of a short week with the Human Rights Day slap in the middle of the week. So before we would know it, it will be Friday again, nice. After work, I went round to see Ricky and Rayne, well they asked me too. While I was there I snapped this photograph of Ricky. He is a hot shot 3D animator and videographer. These are things that I wouldn't even try, well I have done video editing before as part of my multimedia diploma were we used Adobe Premiere and I think I got an A for it too. Now days most video production is done on Final Cut.

Winnie Mandela personally thanks us

Fifteen Vespas, six LMLs, one Lambretta and a number of other bikes set out for Soweto this morning. On the way we somehow got tangled with a larger group of hogs (Harley Davidsons) who where off on an orderly Sunday ride. I must say their marshals didn’t like the wasps buzzing among their hog members. Thanks for stopping the traffic for us; it was a pleasure just riding through the red traffic lights although we did see one dangerous hog marshal who endangered himself and other road users. When the hogs joined the highway this marshal went and stopped across the middle lane of the three lane highway and tried to stop the cars hurtling round the bend. I had to try stop slow the cars down myself and was worried about a large truck just plowing into the marshal. Cars were doing emergency braking with me on my Vespa in the middle of all this.

Well let’s move speedily along. We ended up in the famous Vilakazi Street in Soweto and sat down for a beef korta at Winnie Mandela’s shop. A lot of tourists came by taking photos of our Vespas and even Winnie herself came down to have a look although did not get out of the passenger seat of the silver Audi A6 that she was driven in. She did speak to one of our riders thanking us for our visit.I could have kicked myself afterwards as I could have asked her for a photo of her on one of the Vespas. Anyway after lunch we took a ride around to see the Hector Pieterson Museum and then we got hijacked.

Oh yes hijacked, this dude Lebo comes round on a Gomoto scooter wearing a German WWII helmet and all the biker gear on. He welcomes us and thanks us for coming into Soweto, then asks us to come have a beer with him at his backpackers lodge down the road. So the rest of our tour went out of the window as we headed to Lebo's Soweto Backpackers at 10823A Pooe Street, Orlando West. I must say we were in for a surprise as it was a much better place than the tourist trap of Vilakazi Street. Being a backpacker their prices are very reasonable, the rooms look luxurious and they do bicycle and tut-tut tours of Soweto.We defiantly will be back either to sleep over or just to have beers and dinner.

St Patrick's Day

So what's the crack? From what I can remember Paddies' Day has never really been big in the Emerald Isle only in the countries with all the Irish expats. They say that there are only two kinds of people in the world, the Irish, and those who wish they were. Well at least one of my ancestors came from Contae Ros Comáin or in english County Roscommon and it is not so nice having Roscommon as your third name so you wouldn't forget your roots, what were my parents thinking. Pass me another Kilkenny.

Debbie and Peter, needed no other excuse for a shindig, so quite a number of us ended up at their home for a lekker braai and green cocktails. Thank goodness I got a lift with Craig, so I could let my hair down. Peter later brought out his guitar and we all sang songs into the night.

Now I am safely back home writing this blog listening to some good Irish songs. Here is one for Moira... this one is by Steve Earle, the Galway Girl

Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
Of a fine soft day -I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then I'd be takin' a whirl
'Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl

We were halfway there when the rain came down
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
And she asked me up to her flat downtown
Of a fine soft day -I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl

When I woke up I was all alone
With a broken heart and a ticket home
And I ask you now, tell me what would you do
If her hair was black and her eyes were blue
I've traveled around I've been all over this world
Boys I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl

Vespa Originale

Waking up this morning to rain wasn't what I wanted as I had booked Sophia, my Vespa ET4 in to get the front brakes and lights seen to, you know like a pedicure and a facial all at the same time. No backing out as I have a Soweto run on Sunday and this is the last day that I can get it sorted before the run.

So into the rain, Sophia and I headed and arrived at Scoots in record time. The rain was getting heavier and my doubts about getting a loan Vespa became real. After some heavy discussion with Sophia, I would get a lift home and use the car to work instead of getting a replacement for Sophia, if only for a day. I think I made the right choice as I got to work dry and safe.

Enjoy the weekend and Paddies Day, and if you out on the roads this weekend, keep safe.

Actual Events

It was raining softly as I left work this afternoon and carefully made my way to BBC. Merville had arranged a meeting with himself, Dave and me to discuss that I head up the usher duties at BBC. It might sound easy, but the admin work which involves drawing up and managing a roster and that scares me. Well the real reason is that I am not good at names, faces yes but names, they one second there and the next gone even while they still talking to me. Anyway I better sleep on it and hopefully this will all be gone in the morning. Now why do I have Meat Loaf's song playing in my head?

The meeting allowed me to get to know Dave better; we meet each other in the corridors of BBC and never really spend time to get to know each other. Now we having a meal together. Dave owns the event management company, Actual Events, yes an actual company that specializes in incentive travel, conferences, meetings, leisure travel, destination management services, honeymoons and holidays. Talking about holidays, I need one. Dave have you got something that needs a blog post written about?

Too many Jackies

I am really getting confused because now there is another Jackie, added to my list of Jac, Jack, Jackie, Jacky and Jacqueline friends. My poor contacts on my phone is now so confused and I am not far behind. After work, I went over to Marilyn's place because over the phone they said Jackie and her had somehow broken their Art & Décor website. Jackie soon arrived with her dog in arms and I soon managed to get both of them back on track with their website. This is a fairly old website using old technologies and when I mentioned that it is time to leave the old behind and get a fresh new website, Marilyn's face dropped, as she and her sister has put in so much time into the site. Jackie however was keen to get a fresh new start.

After an awesome supper at Marilyn's place of roast butternut and beetroot with chicken, I then made sure they knew how to continue editing the photos for the website then said my goodbyes and headed for the safety of my home and my dogs.

Waodani

Wow, here I sit trying to write my blog after watching the movie "End of the Spear". I think it is nigh impossible after a movie that tore into my heart. Well let me start from the beginning as it is a good place as any. Warning plot spoiler below.

Well I had an early start; I arrived way before my colleagues because I had to leave an hour early this afternoon for Puppy Training. So when the clock struck 4pm, it was a mad dash home on my Vespa. Then Skye, my Whippet puppy, and I had to dash in the car to the puppy classes. On the way the phone rings, it was a friend wanting Network, LAN and server setup for Saturday's office move, so I put her in touch with another friend all on the way to puppy classes. And here at puppy classes, I managed to catch my breath as Skye had to contend with fluffy Ewoks, no teddy bears, no Labrador puppies, sigh well Ewoks to me and Skye, as he had to become a Empire Storm Trooper and battle the diminutive creatures from the moon of Endor.

I'm getting carried away, then on the way back to drop Skye at home, my phone rang again, it was Sandy checking if I was coming round for dinner. No need to ask twice, so off I rushed to the Sim's home for dinner and later the other cell members joined us for a movie night.

And the movie was the "End of the Spear", the true story of Mincayani, a Waodani tribesman from the jungles of Ecuador. We all know the story of how 5 missionaries were killed by the Waodani. This movie is in the perspective of Mincayani, one of the men who speared those missionaries way back in 1956 and of Steve Saint, the son of one of those missionaries. It is the story that starts at the beginning of how Mincayani narrowly escapes death as his family is butchered by another tribe and how Steve watches his dad fly off to find the Waodani, never to return. Of how the wives and children of those missionaries went into the very tribe the killed their husbands and fathers to bring them the carvings of Waengongi, and that Waengongi too had Son, and that Son was speared, but Waengongi did not retaliate. For the Waodani people, who live and die by the spear, this was the turning point. Steve's dad and the other 4 missionaries crossed over the Great Boa not in vain but they gave there lives so that the Waodani might live. He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.

Sad Piaggio Vespa

During lunch time, I popped into Kalani Mall which is down the road from my office and when leaving I came across is sad looking Piaggio Vespa. All I had with me was my cellphone camera, so please forgive the quality. I am not sure if it is a P200E or a P150X but it is definitely not a LML, my guess is a late model Vespa P200E. Anyways I have seen Vespas that are in a sad way before but this is real bad as if they have no care in the world. It is only going because of the little proudness it has left is that it is a Vespa. Be strong and hold your head up high, little wasp.

Brigitte

Today has been a slow lazy start of the week. First it was off to BBC for the morning, where afterwards it was catching up with friends. Here is Bridgitte, a friend originally from Cape Town and now working for marketing at Tiger Brands Head Office in Bryanston. She was with her mom and John, the sailing Aussie who is planning to bring his yacht over to South Africa. Chatting with John who races with his yacht, tells us that his yacht is designed to go through the swells and not over. I think I would be rather afraid going on his yacht. But come to think about it, swells are like the ups and downs of life. You could simply just ride the swells or if you need to reach your goals quickly, you can go straight through. Scary but quicker.

After BBC it was back home for the afternoon and much later Matthew and I took the dogs to Kingfisher Dog Park to walk, no run the dogs. Skye is starting to keep up with Maxy but tires quickly.

Throbbing Strawberry Noise

This evening Matthew and I joined friends, Magda, Martin and Ann at the Throbbing Strawberry restaurant in Douglasdale. We have been there a few times in the past with only one bad experience but tonight although the company and food was good, the noise from the kitchen was horrendous, oh and the bar too was noisy. So here we were enjoying our meal and we could hardly hear each other talk from the rowdy bar area and every now and again there were loud clashes coming from the kitchen as pots and pans were dropped. The kitchen is sort of opened onto the dining area so the noised carried. At one stage we through the place were falling apart. Recalling our last visit we remembered that the staff started packing up the tables around us at 11pm we could feel the vibe changing as if they wanted us to leave. I was starting to wonder if they are having staff problems and the staff are deliberately dropping the pots and pans.

But the redeeming part of the whole evening was the company. Good friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait for the answer.

ג'ייד נהר

Jade, my beautiful Italian Greyhound is always pleased to see greet me when I arrive home from work. Just over two years old she is once again the smallest dog in my pack now that Skye, my Whippet is slightly bigger at 14 and a half weeks. She is a graceful Italian Greyhound, well isn't all iggies?

Matthew adores all my dogs, and it is his weekend with me so the first thing he does is spend time with the dogs. This time he has the little worm on the couch with him. I call her worm because she as this tendency to worm herself into your arms. Her name on her KUSA certificate is Jade River in Hebrew, why Hebrew I don't know but that is what it is and if not worm then she is known simply as Jade.

On the cellphone while driving

Somehow I slowly started catching up on work that I was behind on. Never got stressed just started one end and worked my way through. Although I am glad that it is nearly the weekend. This evening I joined Craig, Edmund, Mike and Michelle for dinner at Craig's home. Would you believe it, Edmund cooked us a pasta meal. Yes you read correctly, Ed cooked. Well there goes his reputation. To finish off the meal, Craig made chili chocolate samosas for dessert, yummy.

In between the chats and dinner, the challenge was on who can drive the best in a standard BMW M3 on Forza Motorsport 4. While Craig was strutting his stuff, his iPhone rang, it was Sandor, one of our other friends who lives way out in Benoni. From the sounds of the conversation, Sandor wanted help on a game. Now we had front row seats watching someone try drive a car on a race track in Switzerland while speaking on the cell phone. Not a pretty sight and the poor black BMW became somehow silver.

Big Storm Brewing

At work there is so much work that I am starting to fall behind. The only thing I can do is start at one end and work my way through. It is like eating an elephant, one bite at a time. Tonight is my first home alone, doing nothing night since Thursday last week. So here I am sitting behind my computer, writing my blog as a large storm is brewing outside. The dogs have been fed and I am snacking on cream cheese, smothered in fig sauce and spread on whole-wheat snack bread. Ooh that was close. Time to turn off.

Ceri Dupree and the Ladies I Love

I regret nothing. Non! Je ne regrette rien. I joined a group of friends tonight to watch a Welshman turn himself into a gender illusionist and put on a beautiful frock built like a cheap hotel with no ballroom. Accused of being a dark horse, I joined my fringe friends to watch Ceri Dupree and his one man or was that how many women show called "The Ladies I Love" which opened tonight at the Fringe Theatre in Johannesburg. Soon to be in Cape Town.

Honestly, the first half was a bit under the belt for my liking but he had the audience rolling with laughter at Ceri's rude and very risqué comedy. Hello Possums, Ceri's impersonation of the gorgeous Dame Edna Everage with her wisteria hue hair and outrageous glasses was so good that I thought it was Barry Humphries himself at first. I can picture Dame Edna now on stage while a camera crew is going through my home looking for incriminating stuff to show on telly. Dame Edna once said "My mother used to say that there are no strangers, only friends you haven't met yet" How true are those words, my possums, as Dame Edna goes through my drawers.

Now the second half of the show is where Ceri Dupree blew us away literary. I mean he had Robyn in tears. Here is Robyn with Shaida, photographed earlier. Hope you don't mind a little side track but doesn't Robyn look like she is putting on some extra pounds? I mean wow Shaida's waist is smaller than my one of my biceps. Anyway enough on the side track, Robyn was in tears with Ceri's performance of Robyn's favourite singer, Édith Giovanna Gassion or also more famously known as Édith Piaf. Ceri had the sparrow's mannerisms down to a T as he sang Je Ne Regrette Rien.

Oooh I mustn't forget how he also had us rolling with laughter as he did a perfect rendition of Amy Winehouse's song, as they tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no!" So Yes, no regrets, the show is worth going to see, but be aware it is an adults only show. Oh and if you ever get to read this blog, Ceri, I am the one with the goatee in the third row that you had a dig at about some website that you saw me on. Well maybe it wasn't the website you originally thought but this one.

Non! Rien de rien
Non! Je ne regrette rien
Car ma vie, car mes joies
Aujourd'hui ça commence avec toi!

Art & Décor Interior Decorators

Marilyn, a friend who owns Art & Décor Interior Decorators, phoned me this morning needing help as she and her partner Jackie tried to upload new artwork to their website but the images were not showing up in the browser. So I went over to Marilyn's for supper and a give a lesson on how to update their website for the umpteen time although Marilyn insists this is only the second time.

Well I don't mind as it is a lovely home cooked meal. Jackie joined us for supper and the get a better understanding on how their website works. It is my first time meeting Jackie and she arrived just as if she stepped out of a fine art class with paint all over her t-shirt and of course she didn't expect me to have my camera with me. I did not design nor develop their website, I am only helping them understand what they have and how to update it. I have suggested to them on redoing their website in say Wordpress which should be easier

LML – Lohia Machinery Limited

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Piaggio, not to praise them. The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones; so let it be with Piaggio. The noble Lohia hath told you Piaggio was ambitious by embarking on building Vespas in India. If it were so, it was a grievous fault, and even more grievously hath Piaggio a decade later sell its share. Here, under leave of Lohia and the rest of the Machinery Limited - for Lohia now known simply as LML continued building the classic Vespa P models using the same Vespa machinery.

Now Piaggio, in its wisdom has decided to re-enter the Indian market and they have also decided to reintroduce the classic Vespa P model. So now in South Africa, you can buy two similar 80s era scooters at vastly different prices. A genuine Italian Piaggio Vespa PX150X for R50,000 and a LML Star Deluxe for R20,000. Although the build quality of the LML leaves a lot to be desired, it is a new scooter at 30k cheaper so they are becoming very popular with many being resprayed and rebadged to resemble their Piaggio cousin in a Mod form. I am not sure if the LML would hold a good resell value but that time will tell.

Scoots in Fourways who repairs, restores and service older models of Piaggio Vespas and Innocenti Lambrettas, also sell the latest LML models. This morning, I joined Scoots for a ride to Sofi in Greenside for breakfast then to Newtown, under the bridge to view the graffiti. It was more of a LML ride than anything else as you can see in the photo above. From left to right is a silver LML Star Deluxe, a white LML Star Deluxe, another silver LML Star Deluxe with the blue seat, a red LML Star Deluxe with the lime seat, a copper Vespa P200E with a red seat, a Lambretta Grand Prix 150 and finally Sophia, a black Vespa ET4.

After the graffiti tour, our motley crew ended up at 44 Stanley for more refreshments.

WANTED: Schroedinger's cat. Dead or alive

Suffering sucatash, dogs I understand, you own a dog or two or three or four but a cat, well that is another story, they own you. As old Deuteronomy once said, with cats, some say one rule is true: don't speak 'til you are spoken to. Myself, I do not hold with that. I say you should address a cat, but always keep in mind that he resents familiarity. You bow, and taking off your hat, address him in this form: O, Cat! Oh yes that is the way of a cat which brings me to a very important fact that everyone conveniently forgets to tell you,there is not one cat mentioned in the Bible therefore it can be safely deduced that cats are not from God but from hell. Don't get me wrong, I love cats... they taste just like chicken.

So here is Lulu, or as she is affectionately called by her feeder, Ms Attitude. But I saw a different side of Lulu, as I visited for supper; she graced me with a smile that is befitting a mischievous Cheshire Cat. They can't help smiling as they're all mad. I tried to pass as a physics major when the SPCA tried to have me arrested for trying to perform the Schrodinger's Cat experiment.

Vespa Scoots

Scoots, waar ons suip tot die donker verdwyn. Well after a hard day, mostly coding, it was a pleasure getting on the Vespa and riding across to Scoots, the Italian scooter place in Fourways. Arriving at Scoots, a beer was thrust into my hand, welcome. Scoots has become the place to pop in on a Friday on the way home. If you need any Vespa or Lambretta repaired, serviced, restored or even buy then there is only one place, and that is Scoots.

Bruce, shown above in the bright orange t-shirt is one of the partners of Scoots. He owns this Vespa P200e that has been instead of painted, been copper plated by a copper smith. There are some photos of it in one or two of my Facebook albums. Anyway, enjoy your weekend, 'cause I will.

Arno at chaila tyd

The start of a new month and I have been behind a computer screen all day. Sigh, I didn't have much time to think of anything else but when it came to chaila tyd (South African slang for home time) I started looking around for something to photograph for today’s post.

I saw the remains of a few purple flowers in the garden outside my office so I started stalking them with my camera. I was so engrossed in the garden that I didn't see a head pop over the low wall saying "I thought I recognized you". It was Arno, an old friend from my photowalking days. Well I still do photowalking but Arno has joined us on and off. Arno has just started last month working next door to me, I think, as a graphic designer, and we didn’t even know how close we where. Unisda, a mutual friend, would get a kick out of this, now that she has a right brained person to keep a right eye out for me. We had a lovely time catching up over the low wall separating my office with his next door. And this chance meeting presented a perfect photo for my blog, Arno. Oh and his favourite quote is "Tien Ngeng Tie" which means " The Heavens are watching".